This course aims to explore selected topics in Ottoman poetry such as love, daily life and social gatherings, entertainment, imagined feasts. Together with themes characteristic to Divan Poetry such as understanding of love in Islamic societies, lovers and beloveds, sophism and mystical love, sexuality and worldly interactions; daily pleasures including uses of coffee, wine, opium; social functions and technical aspects of Ottoman poetry (aruz, poetic syntax, narrative styles, vocabulary) will be studied. This course introduces a variety of Ottoman poetic genres such as masnavis, ghazals, kasidas, mersiyes. At the end of the semester, students are expected to learn how to read and analyze samples of verses by major Ottoman poets written between 1400-1800.
